Dystopia
by Al Moon
Summary: The world is so sweet that it can only be poison. (Time Travel. One-Shots. Ch.2 has hints of Jiraiya/Orochimaru.)
1. Denial

01: Denial  
Hogo Orochimaru

Orochimaru doesn't remember until one summer afternoon, the sun burning the pale skin as he tries to expel more food than there is from his system. There's a twisted burning behind his eyes that stops the retching, and then everything is clearer than the moment he saw the world for the last time.

"Orochimaru-otōto?"

It's a girl's voice, one forgotten in the reaches of his mind, buried by time and other imperfections in the human memory.

"Tsunade-ane?"

The response rolls off his tongue like it had when he was a child, as if all the years since then had disappeared.

"Sensei said you weren't feeling well."

As much as Orochimaru knows all of this is wrong, that it's all fake, the memories, a voice, fighting viciously claiming to be just a true. He's eight, his mother cooks his favourite food on Fridays, and he's no prodigy. And then there's the reverse, something that rings just as true. He's fifty-three, his parents are dead, and he's no hero.

"I'm not," Orochimaru replied thickly, "I can't..."

He's not a monster, but the snake, the angry old thing coiled in his mind claims he is, claims it to be true.

"I'm not!"

It's a scream, a desperate attempt to fight the monster, the thing trying to steal his mind away.

"I'm not! I'm not! I'M NOT! I'M NOT A MONSTER!"

The poisonous snake can barely fight, weak and defenceless, it fades.

"Believing in a lie is easier than believing in the truth."  
\- Unknown

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A/N: Original this was going to be an Infinite Tsukuyomi, but I wrote the second chapter. The chapters only share the idea of Time Travel in common.

Rhiannon (Somedayisours)


	2. Revultion

02: Revulsion  
Shōjiki Jiraiya

It comes to Jiraiya as a dream, one that leaves him sick and his sheets disgustingly wet. It's only a sliver of the dream that leaves the sheets the way they are, but all of it is as vivid as a memory.

He pushes the dream into the farthest, darkest corner of his mind, and gathers his sheets to wash. When he showers he scrubs his body until the skin is pink, in the farthest, darkest corner the dream festers, a poison in the form of a man.

He can't look at Orochimaru, he feels sick by simply being in the presence of his friend, his teammate. It isn't disgust for his friend, but for himself, because even under the revulsion and horror, he can feel the attraction lurking, the chance of arousal.

The next night is worse, and he wakes again, washes the sheets and scrubs his skin. The dream is haunting, tempting.

"I'm not," he says to the mirror, but now it's a lie, he knows it's a lie. "I can't. I won't."

It comes the next night, and the one after that, and the one after that, until the dark under his eyes are enough to draw people's attention.

"Who is it?" A old Academy friend is the first to comment, and he is the first to guess wrong. "What unlucky girl have you managed to smuggle into your bed?"

Sakumo is next, and he is the closest. "If you really are sharing your bed like Honda claims... Jiraiya it doesn't matter what you're doing, get some sleep."

The dream changes, and what should be a relief is a curse. It happens over and over, until Jiraiya begs for something else, anything else.

He shares the bed with a man, he kisses him softly, and then the next morning the labs are found, and the experiments unearthed, and Orochimaru sneers and with a condescending laugh, he rips Jiraiya's heart into little pieces.

"Such a blind fool. You were such a good shield."

"Memories make us who we are."  
\- Unknown

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A/N: That's the end, unless I decide to post unrelated Time Travel shorts.

somedayisours (Rhiannon)


	3. Playing God

03: Playing God  
Hatake Kakashi

Minato is aware of his surroundings, alert, waiting for the ambush that will never come. Part of Kakashi mourns the fact that there is no ambush, that in the end all they get is a traitorous teammate.

"Five days ago," Kakashi starts, "I was given a mission."

"Kakashi-kun?" Rin questions, followed by Obito's shout.

"What are you going on about? This isn't story time Bakakashi!"

Minato's voice is steady, unlike his hands, and cut across them before Rin and Obito can say any more. "What is the mission, Kakashi."

It takes him a moment to think of a way to word what he is going to do, to humanize the parameters of the mission and his decision. There is no way.

"To kill you."

In the shocked silence of Rin and Obito, Minato finally turns to face him, their eyes meeting.

"W-what are you going on about Kakashi! Hokage-sama would never assign a mission like that! Unless..."

"Are you a traitor, Kakashi?" Minato's cold words make Kakashi want to lash out, he has given everything for Konoha.

"I wish. I wish I was selfish enough to betray Konoha." Kakashi shakes his head in anger. "For Konoha. I kill Namikaze Minato, and in turn my two teammates. I'm giving up my family." The last part is said with sincerity.

"Root," Minato says at last, tired eyes searching Kakashi's face. "How long have you been Root?"

He lets the surprise flash across his face, and then schools his expression, already playing the villain.

"Since my father's death."

Minato nods, and Rin speaks up. "What is Root?"

Both her and Obito have taken a defensive stance against Kakashi, whether subconscious or not.

"An elite division of ANBU."

Kakashi doesn't bother hiding his laughter, "the ANBU are loyal to the Hokage," Kakashi finds himself correcting them, "Root is loyal to the betterment of Konoha."

"Minato-Sensei's death is for the betterment of Konoha?!" Obito lashes out.

"Yes," Kakashi replied, "and so will be your's and Rin's."

"Everyone wants to rule the world."  
\- Unknown

* * *

A/N: Something that has always irked me, but I have never seen addressed is that the Time Traveller is essentially playing God. They ultimately decide who lives and who dies, because of their knowledge. If you have seen or read Watchmen (spoiler), Rorschach believes in telling people the truth even if it leads to anarchy, while the others choose to lie to keep the peace (end spoiler). All of them are in a way playing God, deciding how the world will be. But if you look to closely with that idea anyone can play God, and the main characters in major books, and movies play god all the time. If you really want to ask what playing God means you can say a woman having an abortion is playing God, personally I don't see that as playing God, I think it can only really be playing God if you dictate multiple peoples lives.  
Anyway, Kakashi submits with the idea that simply killing the plant before it takes root is better than letting it grow under careful watch. He has decided to completely eliminate his timeline in hopes that something better will take it's place. If I had written this as something more the end would be along the lines of playing God=worse outcome.

Rhiannon (somedayisours)


End file.
